While going through our new options on our first week back in Daytona, we found ourselves on a constant seesaw of whether to go the corporate route or carve our own path. One had paychecks & benefits and the other had risk & excitement. We had no idea what our future held. One thing that was for sure, my mornings were no longer filled with prayers of resentment and abandonment. Instead, I was so grateful for the recent Floridian experiences and was so ready for the next leg of this journey. In my heart, I could feel that things had changed. I felt convinced that we were that much closer to discovering our final destination. Everything had led to this. The whole reason we had left New York was sure to be revealed in the form of opportunity in Miami, Key West or Tampa... right? It had to, right? Wasn't that the master plan?
And then it hit me. Chapter two had never even started. Our entire trip had still been part of a very challenging chapter one...
We had just been through the toughest break-up of our lives. While we lived and traveled through Florida, our heart was always in the Bahamas. Even when the relationship with the tropics was so obviously over. Like any painful break up, those deep wounds needed time to heal. There's never any time-frame on how long it takes to get over love lost, all I know is that with each day that passes, the pain of a broken heart lessens a little bit. We had been mourning the loss of our 9-month love affair. One that instead of a clean break, had been a very messy tear. The Bahamas and our little pink house had moved on; all while we sorted remnants of a life previously lived from a Daytona storage unit. Like a jealous ex, I was still Facebook-stalking and hadn't canceled my Google alerts. Pining over a life that could have been, we had spent the last several months void of motivation. When we left for Miami, we patted ourselves on the back for taking matters into our own hands, but the reality was that we were in no shape to replace a love as great as the Bahamas. It wasn't clear to us at the time, though Chandler from Friends would've seen it from a mile away. We were so obviously still in Phase 1 of getting over someone. We were still in our sweatpants...
It's true when people say that there are definite phases to getting "back in the saddle" after a broken heart. We had clearly spent the last few months, moping around, trapped in the "what ifs" and "how comes". And just like Chandler had traded in his sweatpants for strippers to get over a girl in Friends, we used three unique locales to get over the Bahamas. While all of them were incredible finds, they just weren't the marrying kind.
Don't get me wrong- Miami is HOT. The kind of hot you can't wait to show off to all of your friends. It possesses a heat that sizzles and an energy that, when together, you can't imagine there's anywhere else you would rather be. Miami is the life of only the best of parties and never tires or quits when the sun rises. Always a challenge, Miami never settles down, keeping even the most confident intrigued. The euphoric glitz and glamor is easy to lose yourself in, but equally as easy to forget when you leave. However, a piece of Miami never leaves you- it's that number that you keep because you know she'll always be up to answer your call.
Key West is a beautiful, yet sophisticated, temptress. Although much more relaxed than Miami, Key West definitely knows how to have a good time. Sunset sails and quiet evenings at home are Key West's idea of a perfect evening, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, especially since we're looking to settle down. Key West believes in romance and fairy tales, complete with happy endings, and perfectly paints a picture of constant leisure. And even though she impresses everyone she meets, it doesn't take long to realize; there's just something missing.
And then there was Tampa, the one who stole my heart. Tampa is the girl next door, the one sure to win over parents and friends alike. Tampa has everything one would need, completing the perfect package. Tampa's sunny disposition made it so easy to envision a future, complete with the white picket fence, dogs and kids. Things would get serious quickly as Tampa wasn't one to mess around, clearly having a master plan of forever. Tampa's the one that when you do say good-bye, you wonder if the regret will remain forever...or at least until you meet again.
Our exploration of Florida may not have revealed the end-game to this journey, but it did help us realize that our life was going to be amazing, even without the Bahamas. Unbeknownst to us, we needed this trip to pull us out of our proverbial sweatpants and get us back in the game. When we came back to Daytona, we found that we had finally been reimbursed for the thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses this disastrous move had cost us. This signified that all ties to Trav's previous work were finally severed, for good. I knew in that moment, that we were finally ready to play.
So thank you Miami, and Key West, and Tampa for showing us that sunny skies, turquoise waters, and white sandy beaches exist in places far closer then we ever imagined. We'll never forget you for showing us that there are definitely other fish in the sea...
Who knows what fishing we'll find in the official start of Chapter Two as we embark on a journey to the most unexpected International destination.
Read Next: #22 What the Canuck?, Aug 22
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